A popular houseplant, Streptocarpus, is an Afrotropical genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. The genus is native to Afromontane biotopes from central, eastern and southern Africa, including Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. The flowers are five-petalled. In the wild, species can be found growing on shady rocky hillsides or cliffs, on the ground, in rock crevices, and almost anywhere the seed can germinate and grow. Although generally referred to simply as “Streptocarpus”, or “Streps”, the common name for subgenus Streptocarpus is Cape Primrose, referring to the nativity of several species to South Africa and their superficial resemblance to the unrelated genus Primula. The genus name Streptocarpus originates from the Greek words streptos, meaning twisted and carpus, meaning fruit, alluding to the general description of twisted seed capsules of these plants. Streptocarpus has approximately 51 species found in South Africa.

Streptocarpus nobilis is a South African indigenous forest floor species that is well suited to pot culture. They have simple, broad leaves and eye-catching dark purple flowers.